Brunson scores 38 as Knicks erase 19-point deficit to beat Bulls 133-127
Jalen Brunson scored 38 and the Knicks came back from 19 down to win 133-127 in Chicago, their second straight win, with Philadelphia up next.
The New York Knicks have stopped the bleeding from their 0-3 start. Jalen Brunson scored 38 points and had seven assists Wednesday night as New York came back from 19 points down in the second half to beat the Chicago Bulls 133-127 at the United Center, according to ESPN. The win came on the second night of a back-to-back, a day after the 111-97 home win over Detroit, and it moves the Knicks to 2-3.
New York won it in the fourth quarter. On Tap Sports Net reports that the Knicks scored 43 points in the period, shooting 16 of 27 from the field and 8 of 12 from 3-point range. Brunson scored 14 of his points in the final 6:51 and finished 13 of 25 from the floor. A 10-2 run gave New York a 124-114 lead with 3:45 to play. Chicago cut it to 130-127 with 46 seconds left, but Norman Powell missed a 3 that would have tied it, and Brunson and OG Anunoby made three free throws in the closing seconds to seal it, per CBS News Chicago.
Brunson had plenty of help. Anunoby scored 23, Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Landry Shamet added 14. Jordan Clarkson scored 18 off the bench after not playing at all against the Pistons, a detail noted by the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson and picked up by HoopsHype. Two players picked up first-half knocks worth watching. Towns appeared to hurt his left wrist in a collision with Noa Essengue, and Shamet twisted his right ankle after a dunk. Both went to the locker room and both came back to play.
The Knicks' defense had a rough night. Powell scored 30 on 10-of-15 shooting, Caleb Wilson added 20, and the Bulls made 18 of 42 from deep. Tre Jones beat the halftime buzzer with a half-court shot that sent Chicago to the break up 62-56. The Bulls fell to 1-4.
What it means for Friday in Philadelphia
Next up is a rematch with the team that beat them in the opener. The Knicks visit the 76ers on Friday, October 30, on Prime Video. Philadelphia won that first game 106-100 at the Garden, and it has kept winning since. CBS News Philadelphia reported that Tyrese Maxey led a fourth-quarter comeback against Indiana to move the Sixers to 4-1.
New York arrives with its first winning streak of the season, though the numbers are still uneven. All three losses came by 11 points or fewer, and two were one-possession games late, at Boston (107-103) and against Philadelphia. The Knicks scored 100, 103 and 102 in those losses, then put up 111 and 133 in the two wins. That suggests the offense around Brunson is starting to work. The open questions for Friday are the health of Towns and Shamet after their first-half scares, and whether the defense that gave up 127 in Chicago can hold up against a Philadelphia team playing well. A win would get the Knicks back to .500 and make the season series with the Sixers even.
